http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) researchers have determined precisely how the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) works at the molecular level to help plants respond to environmental stresses such as drought and cold. Their findings, published in the journal Nature, could help engineer crops that thrive in harsh environments around the world and combat global food shortages. The findings could also have implications for stress disorders in humans. http://www.physorg.com/news179060030.html Biology Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:54:35 EST news179060030 Predictions of grape yields are extremely important to juice processors and wineries; timely and precise yield forecasts allow producers to plan for harvest and move the highly perishable grape crop from vine to processing efficiently. Until recently, wineries and grape juice processors have relied on expensive and labor-intensive hand-sampling methods to estimate yield in grape crops. http://www.physorg.com/news176560015.html Biology Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:30:02 EST news176560015 In collaboration with researchers at VIB-UGent and the University of Antwerp (Belgium), scientists at the BioScience business group of Bayer CropScience AG in Gent have developed a technology that can significantly increase crop yields as well as make them more resistant to unfavorable growing conditions. It is based on selecting plants that make more efficient use of energy. http://www.physorg.com/news176467484.html Biology Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:00:08 EST news176467484 Even if global temperatures rise slowly, climate change could slash the yields of some of the world's most important crops almost in half, according to a new study co-authored by an N.C. State University scientist. http://www.physorg.com/news171551227.html Space & Earth Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:40:02 EST news171551227 (PhysOrg.com) -- Yields of three of the most important crops produced in the United States - corn, soybeans and cotton - are predicted to fall off a cliff if temperatures rise due to climate change. http://www.physorg.com/news170350697.html Space & Earth Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:50:01 EST news170350697 Although agriculture, particularly in the developing world, is often associated with massive deforestation, scientists from the World Agroforestry Centre demonstrated today, in a study using detailed satellite imagery, that almost half of all farmed landscapes worldwide include significant tree cover. http://www.physorg.com/news170307242.html Space & Earth Mon, 24 Aug 2009 04:35:06 EST news170307242 Understanding temporal variability in crop yields has implications for sustainable crop production, particularly since greater fluxes in crop yields are projected with global climate change. http://www.physorg.com/news167394662.html Space & Earth Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:31:52 EST news167394662 The technology - which makes plants significantly more resistant to pests - has now been licensed for use by US agricultural company Becker Underwood in collaboration with Plant Bioscience Limited. http://www.physorg.com/news163691357.html Biology Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:49:41 EST news163691357 Breed a better crop of wheat? That's exactly what a team of researchers from Kansas State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture hope their research will lead to. In their study, appearing in the March 2009 issue of the journal Genetics they analyzed the type of wheat commonly used to make bread in an effort to understand why it is versatile enough to be used around the world and across different climates. This analysis provides important insights into why its genetic structure gives it a tremendous advantage over other competing species. Further, their analysis provides an important first step toward improving wheat crop yields to levels that can support ever-growing populations of people. http://www.physorg.com/news155912627.html Biology Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:04:10 EST news155912627 Responding to sub-Saharan Africa's soil health crisis, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) announced today an ambitious new effort to produce the first-ever, detailed digital soil map for all 42 countries of the region. This project combines the latest soil science and technology with remote satellite imagery and on-the-ground efforts to analyze thousands of soil samples from remote areas across the continent to help provide solutions for poor farmers, who suffer from chronically low-yielding crops largely because of degraded soils. http://www.physorg.com/news151055461.html Space & Earth Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:51:01 EST news151055461 In the face of climate change, being able to increase crop yields by enabling plants to take up nutrients and water more efficiently becomes increasingly important, as fertiliser and water supplies incur significant energy and environmental costs. http://www.physorg.com/news148485535.html Biology Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:58:55 EST news148485535